From The Blog

Drinking Water Safety for Camping and Hiking

December 15, 2014

The sun is shining and the weather is sweet. It’s time to head into the wild yonder for some outdoor adventure!

But before you head back to nature on your camping, hiking or back-packing trip, let’s talk about the safety of your drinking water. Because the great outdoors can become not so great when you pick up a water-borne germ or two.

Do you know where your water has been?

More importantly, do you know what has been in your water? Just because water comes out of a tap, or looks crystal clear in that fresh mountain stream, it doesn’t mean that it’s free of bacteria or organic material that can do you harm.

Drinking cool river water from your cupped hands, after a long hike in the sun, may seem like a great idea at the time. However, you can’t say for sure whether your next sip is safe from pollutants or disease, so best to ensure that you treat each drop with caution. It’s certainly not worth risking your holiday over – or your health!

Do you have enough water?

Depending on your size, your level of activity and the weather conditions, water intake requirements vary from one person to the next. Suffice to say most adults require at least 2 liters of water per day – and approximately 50% more per day for an active holiday.

So let’s imagine you need an average of 3 liters of water per day to maintain adequate hydration over a 5-day hiking trip. That’s a total of 15 liters of water, which equates to 15kg, apart from your clothes, food, bedding, tent and toiletries. Can you manage the extra weight? And how on earth do you carry that volume? Hire a mule?

Don’t stress – you might not need to.

Portable water filters

Portable water filters are designed for outdoor and sporting enthusiasts. Their light weight and impressive filtration abilities make them indispensable to hikers, campers and back-packers – and they’re also a favourite amongst river rafters. If you know you’re going to have access to natural water sources or outdoor taps, a portable water filter is definitely the solution for you!